Prominent pro-Israel senator may be charged with corruption

Dept. of Justice set to file criminal charges against NJ’s Bob Menendez, sponsor of two key Iran bills, CNN reports

TOI

A top pro-Israel Democrat in the US Senate, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), may be charged with corruption following allegations he used his office to advance the business interests of a Democratic donor in exchange for gifts.

Menendez defiantly said Friday he has always been honest in office even as a person familiar with the matter said he’s expected to face criminal charges soon.

“Let me be very clear, I have always conducted myself appropriately and in accordance with the law,” Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said at a press conference in his home state. “Every action that I and my office have taken for the last 23 years that I have been privileged to be in the United States Congress has been based on pursuing the best policies for the people of New Jersey and this entire country.”

CNN first reported Friday that the Justice Department was set to bring corruption charges against the lawmaker centering on his relationship with Dr. Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist as well as a friend and donor to the lawmaker’s campaigns.

An aide to Menendez issued a statement saying “all of the senator’s actions have been appropriate and lawful and the facts will ultimately confirm that.”

Last week, it was reported that the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a judge’s ruling and ordered a hearing to determine if two of Menendez’s aides would be compelled to testify before a grand jury about the senator’s efforts on behalf of Melgen. The New Jersey Law Journal reported that the appeals court identified two issues in question as a billing dispute Melgen had with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a deal he had to sell port screening equipment to the government of the Dominican Republic.

A US District judge had ruled previously that actions taken by Menendez’s office weren’t legislative in nature, the law journal reported. The 3rd Circuit disagreed, writing that factual findings were required to support that ruling.

Attorney General Eric Holder declined to comment on the matter when asked about it during a public appearance Friday. Holder would be responsible for authorizing federal corruption charges against the senator.

Menendez’s spokeswoman, Tricia Enright, earlier issued a statement saying “any actions taken by Senator Menendez or his office have been to appropriately address public policy issues and not for any other reason.”

She said Menendez and Melgen have long been friends and attended one another’s family events and exchanged personal gifts.

“We know many false allegations have been made about this matter, allegations that were ultimately publicly discredited. We also know that the official investigation of this matter is ongoing, and therefore cannot address allegations being made anonymously,” Enright added.

Questions about Menendez’s ties to Melgen have dogged the senator for more than two years, and the investigation of the senior senator from New Jersey was public knowledge.

He has faced questions about trips he took to the Dominican Republic aboard Melgen’s private plane. He has acknowledged taking several actions that could have appeared to benefit Melgen, including contacting the Medicare agency to urge changes to a payment policy that had cost Melgen millions.

Menendez has reimbursed Melgen for three plane trips. Last year, the senator disclosed that his campaign accounts had paid a law firm $250,000 for legal costs related to Justice Department and Senate Ethics Committee investigations of his ties to the Floridian.

For his part, Melgen earned renewed scrutiny when government data last year showed he had gotten more money in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 than any other doctor in the country.

As one of the top Democratic critics of the Obama administration’s pursuit of negotiations with Tehran, Menendez has faced off personally against the president in Democratic forums. Menendez is a co-sponsor of a bill that would give Congress a chance to review and vote on any deal the US signs with Iran over its nuclear program as well as of the embattled Nuclear Free Iran Act of 2015.

The former bill would require President Barack Obama to submit any agreement reached with Tehran to Congress within five days. In addition to the text of the agreement, the bill would require the White House to submit information about Iran’s compliance and a certification that the agreement meets US non-proliferation goals and does not jeopardize US national security, including not allowing Iran to pursue nuclear-related military activities. Moreover, it would prohibit the president from suspending, waiving or easing any congressional sanctions being levied on Iran for 60 days.

Obama has threatened to veto the measure, as well as the Nuclear Free Iran Act, which would threaten Iran with additional sanctions should talks fail to generate a comprehensive nuclear agreement.

Earlier this week, however, Menendez was greeted with ringing applause by some 16,000 attendees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference. There, his tough stance on Iran only added to his cachet when he reiterated his strong support for Israel.

“When it comes to defending the US-Israel relationship, I am not intimidated by anyone—not Israel’s political enemies, and not by my political friends when I believe they’re wrong,” Menendez said triumphantly before a crowd that applauded enthusiastically throughout his address.

Read more: Prominent pro-Israel senator may be charged with corruption | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/senator-behind-iran-bill-may-be-charged-with-corruption/#ixzz3Thl5OUIW
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